Is the Party Over for Goa? Why Are Tourists Ditching The State | Vantage with Palki Sharma

2024 gave us the word ghosting and in this new year it feels like Goa might be experiencing it firsthand it was once India's Crown Jewel of Tourism a Serene Paradise adorned with with with turquoise waves Golden Sands a vibrant nightlife and a unique cultural tapestry Goa has it all it stood as a beacon drawing tourists from every Cor corner of the globe domestic and international alike but now the tides seem to be turning you may have seen the videos on social media videos saying that Goa is deserted empty beaches empty Shacks roads not full of

tourists especially in the busy holiday season is this the truth let's look at the numbers these are from the ministry of tourism in 2019 0.93 million foreign tourists visited Goa by 2023 that number was down to 0.4 million it's a drop of nearly 60% so clearly International tourists are missing what about the domestic tourists their number remains more or less the same many also seem to be ditching Goa for other destinations like Sri Lanka Vietnam and Thailand so what has led to this trend and what does this mean for the future of Goa to understand

that let's go back in time goa's tourism Journey began in the 1970s the state became a Sanctuary for hippies they were seeking an escape from their conventional lifestyle they arrived in Goa it seemed like the perfect Escape so they stayed this influx brought with it a wave of counterculture it shaped goa's tourism infrastructure makeshift Beachside Shacks vibrant markets beach parties all of this emerged very quickly it gave Goa laidback Beman Allure the next two decades saw another transition hippies were great but Goa wanted more so it rebuilt itself as a tourism Hub to appeal to

mainstream International tourists infrastructure improved Luxury Resorts sprang up alongside the Shacks charter flights brought waves of Europeans particularly Russians and Britain they sought warm Winters and affordable holidays and that made Goa the perfect destination it featured on top travel lists destinations that are a must visit Bollywood made it even more popular so much so that planning a Goa trip was a right of passage for the Youth if the trip was successful it was a stamp on your friendship tourism became the backbone of goa's economy it contributes to nearly 177% of their GDP more importantly the

sector employs 35% of the state's population so tourism is crucial for Goa but the honeymoon phase may be ending goa's Allure seems to be fading hangs to a lot of factors the first one is overdevelopment you see Goa is a tiny state it wasn't meant to accommodate so many people once it became popular unplanned development became rampant the idolic beaches became overcrowded the natural ecosystem suffered roads became jam-packed all of this took a toll the second problem is rising costs Goa was popular because of its affordability that is no longer the case we took a

look at the price of fourstar hotels in Goa the cost per night for a room of two starts from 7,000 rupees this is the price of Goa compare that to other places in Vietnam it starts at around 2,000 Rupees in Thailand the rate for the same is around 3,000 rupees so they're offering similar experiences but at a fraction of the cost same for the transportation Goa has what is infamously known as the taxi mafia they control cabs in the state they charge exorbitant fees and there are no real Alternatives AB based cabs like uber and

Ola cannot run in the state all of this is impacting tourism so how is the state responding well the stakeholders paint a complex picture the state government insists that all is well and hotels are occupied at full capacity but Hotel associations say that there is a dip in Booking during Peak periods an almost 15 to 30% decline in occupancy B track owners say the buzz is missing their establishments are not as busy so right now Goa is at a Crossroads and this is not just about the numbers this is also about the vision about what

the state wants to be to continue to attract tourists it will have to reinvent itself diversify its offerings to appeal to a broader audience that is one second it will have to invest in sustainable tourism Goa must protect its natural beauty and cultural heritage and the third point is addressing local issues regulate taxi services control the rising costs prioritize visitor experiences because at the end of the day a holiday is about an uplifting experience if you cannot give that people will not return